Stronger Worker Organisation Key to Advancing Rights and Interests

Dodoma

Effective protection of workers’ rights begins with strong organisation, informed leadership and the ability of workers to negotiate collectively, participants at a Tanzania Mines, Energy and Construction Workers’ Union (TAMICO) branch leaders’ workshop have heard.

The two-day workshop, taking place in Dodoma on 24–25 September, brings together TAMICO branch leaders for training on organising workers in the mining sector, labour standards, workplace relations, labour law, dispute resolution and collective bargaining. It is the second workshop in a series of trade union empowerment activities supported by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Tanzania, following a similar workshop held in Mwanza on 16–17 September.

Opening the workshop, TAMICO General Secretary Paternus Rwechungura called on trade union leaders to remain firm in defending workers’ rights, particularly in employment contracts and workplace negotiations. He stressed that workers must also understand their responsibilities and the laws governing employment while pursuing their rights.

Rwechungura further emphasised the importance of unity among workers, noting that meaningful improvements in working conditions require collective action.

“TAMICO ni mimi, wewe na yule – sote kwa pamoja,” he said, underscoring the role of every worker in strengthening the Union. He also encouraged workers to pursue their rights without fear.

For FES Tanzania Resident Director Christian Denzin, the challenges facing workers are closely connected to broader changes in the economic system and the world of work. He said workers can improve their position by organising themselves, developing strategies and defining their own priorities.

Denzin also highlighted the need for trade unions to remain democratic and independent actors capable of representing workers effectively. He encouraged unions to examine challenges arising from the activities of multinational companies and identify collective approaches to ensuring that labour standards are respected.

“Trade unions need a new generation of leaders,” Denzin said, reaffirming FES’s commitment to supporting TAMICO and other Tanzanian trade unions in the coming years.

The workshop, organised in collaboration with the TUCTA Labour College, includes sessions on employment standards, the role of trade unions in protecting workers’ rights, workplace productivity and sustainability, Tanzania’s labour laws, dispute-resolution mechanisms, disciplinary procedures, workplace negotiations and collective bargaining agreements. Participants will also discuss climate change and Just Transition, as well as youth and gender matters.
The workshop is part of FES Tanzania’s broader cooperation with trade unions aimed at strengthening their capacity as democratic and independent collective actors representing workers’ interests.